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The Dance of Words

My new community of spiritual-creatives knows that aside from being a teacher and writer of Love, I am also a word intuitive. A word intuitive is a term I coined to refer to people who have the gift of understanding the divinity in words. A word intuitive has the capability to see beyond what is readable and audible. This kind of intuition takes words out of their usual meanings and allow them what they really speak. Words have been seen in extremes. Sometimes, words are more harmful than sticks and stones. Often, words are more powerful than swords. Being a word intuitive balances these extreme powers of words. Perhaps in the most abstract sense, a word intuitive becomes one with words.

Word intuition is frequently associated with people who have the “gift of the gab” or with those who can write stories and poetry. But, as the only species that can communicate through words, word intuition is not just a gift of the few. It is something so natural to us. We have the natural knack for making humorous (even sarcastic) remarks, playing with words, speaking our minds, writing poems and letters, answering riddles, praying to God, singing a song, sending insightful and funny text messages, shouting “pick-up lines” and whatever ways we can express ourselves through words. This is innate in us.

The only difference when we awaken ourselves as word intuitives is the way we consciously acknowledge the power of words beyond words – something that is not just read or heard but felt. In the Christian tradition, particularly among the Trappist, there is this practice called lectio divina or the divine lecture. A verse in a Bible is not just read…it is used as a key to understand the message of God. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, there is the ancient tradition of koan. Koan is an illogical riddle which was initially meant as a public joke, but eventually used as a tool for meditation that aims to break the barriers of the mind. Words become a rich field of intuition, where the sacred and the profane meet.

The dance of words

Last March 10, I listened again to Professor Grace Odal-Devora of the University of the Philippines Manila since the last time I listened to her speech about Pasig river almost 3 years ago (see the article on Pag-ibig). Her topic, The Dance of the Sacred Feminine, talks about her academic search and personal journey of the archetypal Babaylan as the expression of Mutya. Babaylan is analogous to the indigenous shamans who assumes the role of a healer, teacher, and spiritual leader of the ancient Filipinos. Mutya, in Filipino legends, is a precious stone, known to give tremendous power to those who keep it. On the other hand, in the words of Prof Grace, Mutya is the essence of God or Bathala within. It is through Mutya, the formless, that the Babaylan, the human form, expresses. And she allows this transformation by establishing a strong and divine connection through the ritual of dance.

The word intuitive in me was ignited as I saw the rhythm and flow of words in Prof Grace’s message. Literally, her message was a grace of the Mutya in her, connecting with my own Mutya. I was amazed with that connection, especially when she mentioned about the origins of her name. In a nutshell, as I comprehend it, her full name means “the gift of divine heritage”. Her name is rich with ancient symbolisms, uniting the Latin gratia, Germanic odal, and Sanskrit deva. One of the most powerful revelations in word intuition is the origin of one’s name. Through her name, she has found the divine message – to dance as her divine heritage and sacred gift.

For Prof Grace, her dance is a ritual of offering to the seen and unseen. She acknowledges what is physical in this world of movement and matter, and what is nonphysical in the dimension of essence and energy patterns. She dances not because of the technique or art of dancing, but for the sake of dance itself, as a sacred expression of herself, a way when God and her spirit mingle and unite. She dances as an act of reverence to all that exist. As she spoke from the heart, I could sense how her story dances as I listened to it. Her message was not just about her dance – it was a dance.

(c) jeancliclac / Photoxpress.com

Personal insights

Her message clearly rings an inner bell. My longtime puzzle of knowing both dancing and writing has now been answered. The words in me does not flow: they all dance, whether on a paper or on a blank screen. I see words as they twist spellings, combine meanings, break into different sounds, unfold their origins and connect with other symbols. They all naturally speak wisdom and ignite inspiration. These are all the dance of the words, endlessly dancing in the rhythm of my soul.

Thanks to Professor Grace Odal-Devora for her stories and insights on her sacred dance. If you want to learn more about word intuition or interested in getting a free word intuitive reading, e-mail me at pathfinderscommune@yahoo.com